Tram way-switch



UNrr STATES PATENT rrrcn.

WILLIS G. CARMELL, OF COLUMBUS, OHIO.

TRAMWAY- SW|TCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 488,599, dated December27, 1892.

Application filed December 11, 1891. Serial No. 414,746. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WVILLIs G. CARMELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at O0- lumbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Railway-Switches,of which the following is a specification,

My invention relates to the improvement of street railwayswitches andmeans for operating the same.

The objects of my invention are, to provide a switch of this class ofsuperior construction and arrangement; to provide in connectiontherewith superior means for throwing the switch-tongue of a streetrailway from the car; to so construct my device as to facilitate thedirection of the cars, either upon abranch or main-track; to producesaid invention in a simple, durable and inexpensive form and to produceother improvements in the construction and arrangement of parts thereofwhich will be more specifically pointed out hereinafter. These objects Iaccomplish in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich,

Figure is a central longitudinal section of a street railway and carthereon having my improvements. Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken online at x of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view on line y y of Fig. 2 showing theswitch operating rod and its casing, partly in elevation and partly insection. Fig. 4 is a view of the under side of a car having myimprovements thereon, and Fig. 5 is a plan view of a portion of arailway track. 7

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

a a represent the main-track. rails of a street railway track and b bbranch or switch railsiwhich connect with and lead from said main-trackrails in the usual manner. At the switch point or intersection of therails b and a, is pivotally supported in the usual manner, upon asuitable switch-plate W, a switch-tongue h The rails are supported fromthe ties at in the usual manner. Between the main-track rails at thedesired distance in front of the switch-plate, is formed a suitableexcavation c, (Fig. 2) within one end of which is seated transversely asuitable metallic casing c. The floor of this casing c is provided oneach side of the center of its length with an upwardly. projectingbearing lug or bracket 0 said brackets having fulcrumed thereto, thecentral portion of leverbars 0 c. The inner ends of these two leverbarsor arms are j ointedly connected by an intervening lever-bar c, the endsof which are pivotally connected with or fulcrumed to the inner ends ofsaid bars 0 c Jointedly connected with the outer end of each of the bars0 0 is an upwardly extending pressure arm, the latterbeing indicated at0 0 Upon the upper ends of these pressure arms are supported as shown,suitable forms of pressure buttons, the latter being indicated at 0 0 Asshown in the drawings, these buttons are thus sup ported above andadjacent to the inner sides of the flattened or tread portions of therails.

d represents a shaft or connecting-rod, which extends longitudinallythrough the central portion of the excavation c and which has one endwhich I will term its forward end, rigidly connected with the centralportion of the central lever-bar c and which adjoining said lever-bar isprovided with abearing in the frame or casing oi. The opposite end ofsaid connecting rod (1 is journaled in the lower portion of a suitableframe or casing 11 the latter rising as shown, from the forward portionof the excavation to the street level and being provided with a lateralextension in its upper end in the form of a boxing 61 which extends tothe inner side of the switchplate 19 With that extremity of the roddwhich projects from the frame-piece d is rigidly connected the lower endof a lever arm e, the upper end of which is jointedly connected as shownat e with a horizontal operating rod e, which extending within thecasing (1 has its outer termination within an opening f of the web ofthe switch-plate. In this position the outer end of the operating rod eis connected as shown, with the lower end of a pin f, said pin extendingupward through a slotted openingf in the body of the switch-plate andhavingits upper end connected with the switch-tongue b 9 represents aoarfloor or frame, g the wheels thereof, and g the axles. Upon one ofthe axles g are fulcrumed swinging arms 1' and 4?, each of said armsconsisting of a sleeve 71 which loosely surrounds the axle or a fixedcollar i thereon at a point adjacent to the inner side of the car-wheel.These sleeve portions 43' are as shown in the drawof the arms 2' t ings,provided with oppositely located projectingportions 1' Each of thesearms 2' has pivotally connected with its extremity a suitable roller 1',which, when said portion t of the arm 1' is depending vertically, isadapted to come into contact with and exert a pressure upon one of thelever buttons 0 or c which adjoin the track rails. 43 which projectsfrom the sleeve 2' has projecting therefrom, an arm which carries on itsouter extremity a suitable weight 70, the latter projectingsubstantially at right-angles with the arm '5. i

m m represent respectively, vertical stems or reel-posts which arejournaled in theends ot' the .car platform g, said stems carrying upontheir' upper endssuitable crank handles m and upon their lower ends:beneath said platform grooved pulley or reel wheelsmi m 0. and 0represent-suitable operating-ropes or chains, which may be formed of anydesired material. The central :portion of the rope 0 isxsecured as shownat 0 in the groove of the :reel wheel'm l From this reel wheel the ropeextends toward the zlongertsides of theiplatform g and'passes oversuitablepulley'w'heels m m5, arranged on oppositesides of the pulleywheel m From these pulley wheels,the rope is extended in the directionof the length Lot the platform, and has its ends connected with theprojecting portion t The icentralrportion of the rope o is as describedfor the rope o'secured within-thegroove of the reel wheel on. From saidreel wheel, said'rope extends in opposite directions as described forthe rope 0 and passes about'pnlleys orsheaves 0 which correspond withthepulleys m m From these'pulleys, the portions ofthe rope 0' extend inwardand have their ends secured-as shown, to the projecting portions 2' ofthe arms'i. Each of the reelstems mis provided adjacent to the upperside of the platform g with a small ratchet wheelip with which isadapted to engage a suitable pawl '10 pivoted to the plat form.

Presuming that the car upon the main-track is approaching the pointswhere the buttons 0 '0 project above the rail tread and it being desiredto-tdirect said car on the branch track I), and presuming that theswitch tongue b is inthe position shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings,t'.(5., against the inner switch-plate flange,

the method of operating my device is as foldrawings; in which positionthe roller wheel tion therewith of the lever bars 0 0 c and arm c inimparting such movement to said bars as to elevate the pressure buttona. The movement of said lever bars will also through the bar 0sufficiently rotate the connecting rod d as to result in-the movement ofthe arm ein a small arc of a circle and in a consequent inward'movementof the rod c. This movement of the rod 6 will result in moving theswitch tongue which is connected therewith as described laterally towardthe main-track rail, and in directing the car-wheel upon the branchtrack I). This having been accomplished, the reel stem m is releasedfrom the grasp of the operator, when the dropping of the weight it ofthe arm 41 which will =result from gravity, will-operate to throw theportion i of :s'aidarnrto such an angle asto elevate the-.roller-t-i'from con-tact with the track or buttons. .It will thus "be seen thatthe weights 10' "will serve to automatically hold the rollers out ofvthe pathof 'the buttons, when it is desired to continue the car uponthe main-track, past the switch point. In case a main track car desiresto continue thereon, and th'e 'switchv'tongue isin position to directthe car upon the branch track t h'c operator of the main track ear 'may,by rotating the reel stem m, and reel wheel m take upth-at portion ofsaid rope 'owhich-conn-ects with the arm-t and thereby cause the rollerz' of the arm i to come into contact with thebutton c and thro'ughicontact with the latter so turnthers-witch tongue as to open the :maintrackat the switch point.

From the construction shown and described, it will be. seen'tha't'withoutstopping or le'aving his'car, the'driver-or operatormay controlthe direction taken by the car. atth'e switchpointand thatthie means employedareexceedingly simple I and effective.

It is obvious that Imay provide the workinglparts of my device withsuitable casings or covers and that the opening) of the switch plate maybe covered at all times by the switch tongue, thus preventing theentrance of dirt and the clogging 'of the parts.

Having now fully described my invention, what I claim and desire tosecure 'by'Letters Patent is,

In a railway switch operating mechanism,- the combination with the main'and branch track-rails, :a switch-plate and pivoted tongue thereon,jointedlyeonnected lever bars as described, between the main track railsand pressure .buttons supported therefrom adjacent to the main trackrails, .ofan operating rod 6' connected with the switch-tongue,connecting red at having one end connected with one of saidlever barsand its remaining end connected as described withthe operating rod 6,through an arm '6, substantially as-spe'cified.

WILLIS G. OARMELL.

In presence of- O. O. SHEPHERD,

BARTON GRIFFITH.

